Your Excellency the Minister of Digital Economy and the Post Office, Hon. Claude Isaac De

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to attend this official ceremony announcing the 27th Universal Postal Congress on behalf of the Universal Postal Union.

Mr. Vice-President, I wish to express my profound gratitude to the President, to your good self, and to the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire for the tremendous support they have shown not only to the UPU but also to the African postal sector.

Allow me to say that the UPU and Côte d’Ivoire share a long and rich partnership. We have tried twice before to hold a conference in the country. We were unlucky.

I am proud to say that, today, thanks to your diligence and your determination, and for the very first time in UPU’s 145-year history, we will hold the Universal Postal Congress in sub-Saharan Africa.

I would also like to compliment you on the facilities, and the hotel accommodation the excellent relations we have at the technical and expert level, as well as between the various partners on this exciting venture.

There have already been several on-site visits and I note that we are making excellent progress in the organization of the Congress.

The UPU community is also excited about 2020 and the opportunities for the representatives of 192 countries to experience the country, its culture, and its vibrancy

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are coming to you at the right time!

The Universal Postal Congress arrives in Africa at a transformational moment in the region’s history, a time of great opportunity and a time of great potential growth.

Across Africa, the fair winds of technology are delivering sweeping changes to how posts work and to how commerce is conducted.

More than ever, the digital economy is enabling posts to make ever-greater contributions to government purses and creating greater access to e-commerce, e-services, and other digital solutions.

In Abidjan, we will have an opportunity to review the World Postal Strategy adopted in Istanbul in 2016 and to define a new strategy from 2021-2024. Our close partnership with the Pan-African Postal Union ensures that the strategy is also reflected in the Regional Development Plan for Africa, especially in the areas of touchstone subjects as digital transformation and postal payment services.

To support African posts, we continue to roll out two projects—Ecom@Africa and Easy Export—to build connectivity across the e-commerce ecosystem. I congratulate Côte d’Ivoire on its decision to participate in the Ecom@Africa project alongside Tunisia, Morocco, Ethiopia, Kenya, Cameroon, and South Africa.